Process of temporarily preserving shelled peas and similar vegetables.



C. H. PLUMMER. A PROCESS 0F TEMPORARILY PRESERVII'IG SHELLED PEAS AND SIMILAR VEGETABLES.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN. I5, I9I3.

Patented Dec. 21, 1915.`

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is high will frequently mold before the fol- UNITED STATES PATE;

` OFFICE.

CLARENCE H. PLUMMER, OF KEWAIYJ'NEE, WISCONSIN.

` l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dee. 21, 1915.

, Application led January 15, 1913. Serial No. 742,103.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE H. MER, a citizen of the lUnited States, residing at Kewaunee, county of Kewaunee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in vProcesses of Temporarily PreservingShelled Peas andv Similar Vegetables, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in processes of temporarily preserving 'peas and other vegetables preparatory to canning them.

The harvesting period for canning vegetables is brief and it is ifrequently not possible `under ordinary conditions to sterilize and can the vegetables as fast as they are harvested. In the pea canningl -industry modern practice requires the use of viners for harvesting and podding the peas in the field, the shelled or podded peas being then i conveyed in trays to the canning factory.

' night before canning them.

The delivery of peas to the factory frequently exceeds the capacity of the sterilizing and canning machinery making it necessary to store the peas temporarily or perhaps over especially subject to heating or fermentation and rapid deterioration', Peas harvested during an afternoon when the temperature lowing morning and will always deteriorate to a considerable extentv underfthe methods heretofore employed which involves storing them in largeb'piles or in boxes whereby considerable pressure is developed at the boti tom of the pile. .l

' The object of this invention is to provide A means for preserving-l peas or other vegetables in their original `fresh condition until they ,can be sterilized and canned, ajndgthis I am able to aceomplishfbyrelieving them from heat and to a large extent from pressure in the intervalbetween the harvesting and canning operation and 'also by subjecting them to a rapid skin drying operation,

which may also in extreme casesfinvolve a cold sterilizing operation as hereinafter set forth."

In the 'drawing I have illustrated a storage vault 1n longitudinal vertical section with a' view of facilitating the description of my improved process.

In carrying out my improved process 'the peas are delivered from the viner into trays which have perforated bottoms and are kept PLUM- Green peas are fecting the quantity of moisture within the peas.v In order that my process may be carried out yon a large scale suitable to the requirements 4of the canning industry I prepared a vault A having a Aseries of chambers B therein provided with shelves C adapted to receive the trays CQ In the drawing only one of the chambers B is shown filled with trays. The, several vchambers B are separated by flues D through which the current of Jair or gas may pass in a downward direction. The trays are formed to fit the walls of the chambers closely so that the air or gas is compelled to pass through the perforated bottoms of the trays and upwardly through the peas. -VThe perforated bottoms are preferably formed so that the total area represented by .the perforations is insufficient to permit the air or gas to pass without generating a little 'pressure which is thus applied through each and all of the perforations upwardly, upon the peas. In the conor vapor may be admitted through an inlet E to the initial chamber B. 1 Afterpassing upwardly through the trays in' this chamber 1' it is delivered to a horizontal upperiiue F, a valve Gr belngv employed to control the delivery f thel air or vapor into this flue.

From this flue it may pass downwardly through the initial flue D and 'enter the bottom ofthe next chamber B when the operation is repeated. Valves H are preferably employed to control the admission to the. bottom portion of reach ofthe chambers B- so that by closing` the valves' H and G with reference'to any one of the chambers, the airv or. vapor may be delivered along. the

flue F to the next open chamber B, when it will pass downwardly through the flue F which delivers to that chamber and telnl upwardly through such chamber. valves G when open, direct the vapor downwardly through the proper flue. When closed these valves permit the vapor to pass valong the flue F until obstructed by a raised valve and then 'downwardly through the proper Hue D.

It is not material how the currentI of gas,

air or vapor is developed. Where airis used a suction fan I-may be appliedto the final flue D or at any other suitable point for directing the air through the vault. Where a sterilizing gas or vapor is employed this may be stored under rpressure in a tank J from which it may be delivered to the initial chamber B through a valved connection K.

In such case the initial valve H would of course be closed. Carbon dioxid'is 1a very,

eflicient agent for my purpose and when stored under pressure it not only -absorbs a large number of heatA units during expansion but alsoserves Aas an absolute preventative against fermentation.'v Owing lto the fact that the Huid used is delivered upwardly andunder a certain pressure as compared with that at the outlet, a slightlifting tendency is exerted upon the peas which prevents them from settling together as heavily as would otherwise be the' case, and' this also tends to prevent deterioration. ,y r

Experiments which I have conducted have demonstrated that while water may be effectively used as a preserving agent, a certain deterioration occurs in the iavor of the peas, but by skin drying the peas as a'bove explained: this flavor 1s preserved. And

while I have described my process with particular reference to the temporary preservation of peas it will be understood that the same is applicable to the preservation of other vegetables where the requirements for skin drying preparatory to a canning operation are similar to those involved in canning peas. Y

,It is not necessary lthat the process above described should be continuous from -the v l time that thefipeas'zare stored nntil they areblanched or cooked. It will ordinarily be sufficient to merely pass a current of air .or

gas through the peas for a suilicient period to remove the abnormal heat and reduce the temperature to substantially that of the exterior-` atmosphere during the night or to a point below such temperature. t `Under some conditions, however, it may be necessary to repeat the process at one or two intervals during the night, or if desired the period of fluid delivery through the peas may be prolonged to suit Vthe conditions, but I believe it'will not be desirable to maintain the'air or gas current for a sucient interval to materially dry the interior of the vegetables.

l I claim 1. The process green peas withoutloss of flavor, consisting of temporarily preserving l in subjecting them Vto anj'upwardly owing stream of a cool gaseous fluid maintained for a suflicient interval to skin dry the peas and reduce their temperature below a point conducive to fermentation, substantially as described. 4

2. The process of preserving green peas' n in the interval between harvesting and can- 

